Yes .... if the draft is as messed up as it appears to be heading, then who's left to draft could be a pleasant surprise. And if some quality names are still left, it will also attract trading partners looking for a specific player in the draft. These teams may not wish to gamble beyond #8.

And if luck is with us - as opposed to what happened this year (including the lottery) - then Raptor fans could actually see positive signs heading into the season. A #2 pick (relatively speaking) plus a quality 1st Rounder and/or Talent (in trade).

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I fully agree. The Raps could wind up drafting a player widely expected to be unavailable (ie: Barnes, Lillard) who would be more attractive than trading for an overpaid, aging veteran. Or, as I've read the last couple days, a player like Drummond could continue slipping, right to the Raptors. With JV coming in at C, Drummond probably doen't have much value to the Raptors, but that #8 pick would suddenly skyrocket in value as a trade chip, for teams behind us drooling over the idea of being able to grab Drummond.

The #8 pick is like a stock for an unknown commodity... once the first seven picks are made and we know who's available @ #8, the Raptors and every other team will suddenly be able to come to an agreement over the true value of the pick. As you said, hopefully the value is higher than anticipated, either for the Raptors to use the pick or trade it.